Going back to the dorm, I found Ji-Hyun still asleep. The air conditioning made the room a little too cold, even though summer was right around the corner.
"Looks like nothing happened while I was gone."
I headed to the bathroom to clean my tools. Peeling off the mask, I watched as it instantly reverted to its original cracked form.
"Still cool."
After changing into pajamas, I tossed my suit into the basket.
[02:24 AM]
"I better go to bed."
But just as I was about to slip under the blanket, the world bent around me. The dorm vanished.
I was standing inside a grand museum-like hall. Marble floors, walls lined with artifacts, chandeliers glowing faintly above. And at the center—a long dining table overflowing with food.
Seated at the head was Barbatos.
"I apologize for summoning thee so suddenly," his deep voice rumbled, echoing in the hall.
I rubbed my eyes. "…What seems to be the problem, Barbatos?"
"I call thee here because of compensation. Thy arm was sacrificed forcefully for my design."
I looked at my left arm—the mechanical one, faintly glowing under the chandelier light. Barbatos spoke of "compensation," but honestly?
"…It's fine," I said simply. "This arm is stronger than the one I lost. I'm grateful, actually."
He had no face, no expression. Yet somehow, I felt the weight of his regret pressing against me, like the whole hall was holding its breath.
"Even if thou art satisfied," Barbatos rumbled, "I still desire to give thee recompense."
He snapped his fingers.
A system prompt unfolded in the air before me, burning in golden light:
[Because of the help of a constellation, your
…What?
I froze. My mind raced, my throat dry.
Secondary Classes weren't a mystery to me. In Atlas Online, they were the most broken mechanic in the entire game. Builds changed overnight. Whole metas rose and fell around them. And they didn't unlock until your second Star Awakening.
But this? This was too early. Insanely early.
Barbatos's voice reverberated, calm and inevitable. "Normally, thou would not glimpse thy Secondary Class until thy second awakening. But I have bent the order. I have opened the path sooner."
I stared at the prompt, the glowing text reflecting in my eyes.
Unlocked early… months ahead of schedule. Maybe years.
It wasn't just a head start. It was cheating. A crack in the system itself.
What kind of being had the power to do that?
Were constellations gods? Developers? Some kind of higher beings beyond both player and NPC?
I didn't know. But I understood one thing—this changed everything.
My path, my build, my survival. The story itself.
Barbatos rose slightly from his chair. "Now… thou may return to thy world."
With another snap, the hall shattered like glass.
[02:27 AM]
I was back in my dorm. Only minutes had passed. Ji-Hyun still snored in the other bed.
Nothing looked different. And yet everything had changed.
"…Aaah, whatever," I muttered, collapsing into bed. "I'll deal with it tomorrow."
But even as sleep pulled me under, the golden text burned in the back of my mind.
[Secondary Class unlocked.]
The one advantage no one else in this world had.
◇◇◇
BOOM!
CLASH!
The training hall shook as mana-infused weapons slammed together, sparks scattering across the polished floor.
The cadets around me leaned forward in excitement, shouting encouragement like this was the highlight of their week. And in a way, it was.
Because this wasn't just sparring.
This was one of the Academy's "friendly duels"—an official lesson, where students tested themselves against each other under supervision. On paper, the goal was "growth through competition." In reality, it was a system event.
A tutorial.
The part of the game where you tested your build against another player's. No monsters, no bosses, no quests. Just character versus character. Strength, speed, mana efficiency—all measured in the cleanest way possible.
I already knew this. I remembered when I was dominating this field back when this was just Atlas Online.
Now, though… I was inside it.
The fighters in the ring went all out, their grins cutting through sweat and bruises. One of them forced every last drop of mana into his blade, voice cracking like a stage actor at the climax of a drama.
"THIS IS MY FINAL ATTACK! TAKE IT, JOJO!!!"
The other roared back, grin unshaken.
"F@#$ YOU, CAESAR!!!"
Mana flared. Sparks burst. Dust exploded across the ring.
The audience held their breath as the haze swallowed both fighters. Then, as it thinned, two silhouettes came into view: one kneeling, sword shattered; the other standing tall, his blade aimed at victory.
The commentators shouted over each other, voices brimming with energy.
[Who's going to come out on top—?!]
[It's… JOJO!!!]
"YEEEEAAAAAHHH!!!"
The crowd erupted, fists pumping the air.
Beside me, Ji-Hyun smirked, pointing at the victor like he'd called it from the start. "Kylen, look at that. I knew that guy would win. Now pay up."
The popcorn slipped from my hand back into the container, my jaw slack as disbelief hit me.
"To think I'd lose the bet…" I muttered.
Humiliating. Absolutely humiliating.
I was the one who made the bet, yet I was the one who lost. And not just lost—I lost badly.
Since entering Jake's body, my intelligence had gone through the roof. My calculations were sharp, my predictions precise. I'd even run the numbers on this duel and had given myself a 74% certainty of winning.
And yet… here I was. Beaten by the 26%.
I thought this would be a quick cash grab, an easy flex after pocketing a fat reward in the underworld. Instead, I was hemorrhaging money to Ji-Hyun.
Not a fortune. But enough to sting.
"Here," I said, raising my wrist. My smartband flickered, and a holographic panel unfolded in the air—numbers and runes scrolling across it like some cyberpunk AR display.
Ji-Hyun's band lit up as he tapped his own projection against mine. The air chimed as the transfer completed, the digits flickering from my account to his with brutal finality.
"Hehe… thanks for the thousand bucks, bozo." His grin widened like a shark smelling blood.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, exhaling through my teeth.
"…This is why I hate gambling."
"Said the guy who wanted to bet in the first place."
"Shut up."
We kept bickering idly, killing time while the stage was being prepared for the next duel.
[The stage has been reset. Who will step up next?]
The commentators' voices echoed across the training hall, sparking fresh excitement in the crowd.
Suddenly, a heavy hand clamped down on my shoulder.
I jolted upright so hard I spilled my popcorn—straight onto Ji-Hyun's lap.
"Hey!" Ji-Hyun shot up, brushing the crumbs and grease off his uniform. "Can you not throw food at me? I get that you hate losing, but that's not an excuse to attack me with snacks!"
"Sorry," I muttered, twisting in my seat. "Someone grabbed me out of nowhere."
Then I turned to see who it was—and froze.
Wei Lian.
White hair like snow. Eyes red enough to cut stone. His gaze pinned me in place like a predator sizing up prey.
Seriously. How many people in this academy have red eyes?
I forced my voice steady. "What can I help you with?"
His lips curled into something that wasn't quite a smile.
"By being dead."
To Be Continued...